Remembrance
by tiakallRiikii
Summary: Ten years after the fall of the Dynasty, Sage Date, a well-to-do reporter, gets a call from a man named Rowen who insists they knew each other when they were young. If that's so, then why doesn't he remember it...? PG for language.


Remembrance  
  
Sage Date liked his job. As a reporter, he got to go a lot of interesting places and meet plenty of interesting people. There was one thing that got an occasional complaint out of him: the quacks, saying they'd seen Buddha in a peanut butter jar or that had a cow that did algebra. But other than that, Sage really loved his job.  
This was one of those 'quack' cases.   
"Dammit, Yoko," Sage groaned as he ran a hand through his thick blonde hair. "You know I hate taking these stupid calls. Especially when I'm on a deadline!"  
"Sorry, boss," she shrugged. "But he asked specifically for you."  
Sage groaned as he reached for the phone. "What does he want?"  
"Didn't say."  
Sage sighed again as he picked up the phone. "Moshi moshi, Date Sage speaking. Who is this?"  
"Hello, Sage," the voice on the other end replied. The speaker had a strange accent in his Japanese that Sage couldn't quite place. "My name's Hashiba Rowen. Ring any bells?"  
"None at all," Sage replied. "Should it?"  
"This might sound a little crazy," Rowen said, "but I think we knew each other when we were young. Think back; what do you remember of your teen years?"  
Sage frowned. It had always been a blank spot in his memory. "Not much of anything. Why do you ask?"  
"I don't either. Sage, I think someone has messed with our memories for a specific purpose. I'd like to meet with you sometime. I've found some stuff in some history books that seems familiar somehow, and I'd like you to look over them with me, see what we can uncover."  
"Look, Hashiba-san..." Sage was trying to be as polite as possible and tell this guy to blow off. "I appreciate your concern for my past, but..."  
"Sage." This Rowen was insistent. "There's something really important here. Something more than just our pasts. This could be the well-meaning of the world you're turning down here."  
Sage sighed and rubbed his head. ~Why do I get all the quacks?~  
"You don't believe me, do you."  
"Well, it is rather hard to swallow."  
"Please..." Rowen sounded desperate now. "Just come and meet with me. I promise it won't be a waste."  
Cripes, what would it take to ditch this guy? "And how many cameras should I bring?" he asked dryly.  
"Hell no!" came the response on the other end. "I mean, no, don't bring any cameras." Sage frowned. What kind of story did this guy want, then? "This isn't a story, Sage. This is about me, you, and some other people I have yet to find. No one else should know until we know the reason behind it."  
Sage rolled his eyes. Paranoid, that was it. "Fine, should I just bring a tape recorder?"  
"Sage!" the voice yelled. "Let me repeat myself. THIS IS NOT A STORY. I'm not trying to get on the air, okay? I just need to talk to you. Will you come?"  
Most interesting. Sage decided to bring a tape recorder just in case. "All right, I'll meet with you. When and where do you want to meet?"  
"At Odaiba University. I work there; I'm a historian. Any time you can come over is fine. Just hurry, if you can."  
Sage glanced over at the calendar. The deadline on Friday was circled, with big red kanji declaring it the VERY IMPORTANT DEADLINE. "Umm, how's Saturday?"  
Rowen sounded a bit disappointed. "You're sure you can't meet any sooner?"  
"I'd love to come sooner, but I'll be working up til Friday afternoon on this big assignment. Sorry."  
"That's okay. I'll see you then!" Click. Sage put the receiver down with a thoughtful look. Definetely one of the more interesting things he'd heard in his career. He'd better write the date down so he didn't forget it.  
  
Meanwhile, that historian was having other problems. "Where are you?" he breathed, senses alert. "Come out, I know you're here."  
"Hello, Rowen Hashiba, Rowen of Strata," a quiet voice replied.  
~Strata....something seems familiar about that word. But what?~ He turned slowly, spotting a tall man in a cloak. "Who are you? What do you know of me?" He narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"  
"Follow me, Rowen of Strata," the man replied silkily. "Get in your car and follow me, then you shall learn all."  
Rowen warily watched the man as he got into his jalopy. With a loud splutter, the hunk of junk started up. Rowen winced. He really needed a new car.  
The tall man slowly rose off the ground, his cloak billowing out. "Fascinating," Rowen muttered. "Actual levitation!"  
The man suddenly began to fly, following the road. Rowen pushed the car into acceleration, following. Even though he realized he could be driving into serious danger, his mind still wondered at the possibilities of how this person could be flying.  
~Somehow,~ Rowen thought to himself, ~I don't think he's human.~  
A few hours later, the man finally landed, walking out toward a strip of land by the sea. Rowen parked the car and followed.  
"Do you know where we are, Rowen of Strata?" the man said quietly.  
"Ai wa Hashidate," he replied promptly. "It's a tourist attraction cause of the long beaches. Why are we here?"  
"Does this place seem...familiar...to you, Rowen of Strata?"  
Rowen wrinkled his brow as he looked around. ~If only I can remember!~ "How would you know if it's familiar?" he replied coldly.  
"Use your head, historian. You're good at that."  
"Are you saying it was you that erased my memories?" Rowen demanded.   
"It might have been," he replied. He drew a long curved scimitar. "Let's just say I'm not happy with the prying you've done. Fortunately, I caught you before you could talk to Sage of Halo, so I won't have to kill him as well. En garde, Strata."  
Rowen inwardly cursed. How in the hell was he supposed to fend off this guy? He backed up slowly as the man inched forward. Suddenly, the man lunged. Rowen leapt...  
"Whoa!"  
For a guy that didn't get out much, he could sure leap a lot higher than he thought when his life was at stake. Could this be tied into his past?   
"Memory, don't fail me now!" he muttered as he landed. Putting his hands up in what he hoped was a good fighting stance, he faced the man. "En garde yourself."  
The man laughed. "Foolish man. You can't hope to win against me. You don't remember how to fight."  
"So I was a fighter," Rowen replied. "I thought so. Thanks."  
The man smirked. "It doesn't matter what you remember now, Strata. You'll take it to your grave." He lunged for Rowen again, sword flashing. Something clicked in Rowen's brain, some forgotten memory that his muscles remembered. Doing a horizontal flip in midair, he smashed his feet into the man's neck. He fell back a step.  
Rowen landed. "Not bad for someone who's approaching middle age, huh?"  
The man glared at Rowen furiously. The hood had been knocked from his head, revealing a pair of rather unusual yellow-brown eyes.   
"The game ends, Rowen of Strata!" the man snarled. Rowen could see a pair of unusually large and pointed canines in that mouth--also unusual. He wasn't human, like Rowen had suspected.   
The man charged again. Rowen gasped in surprise; this guy was a lot faster than he looked. Was he only toying with him before? He hissed as the curved blade cut into his arm, splattering blood across the pale sand lit by a half moon. Rowen shook his arm, and the man knocked him back, winding him and tossing him to the ground.  
Rowen lay panting on the ground as the man--or not-man--pressed the blade against his neck. "Goodbye, Strata."  
  
Sage ran a hand through his hair blearily. Yoko came over and rubbed his back. "You've been working too hard, boss. Take a break."  
"Can't," he muttered. "Gotta finish..."  
"Boss, you'll drop dead at this rate. Go get some coffee. I just made a fresh pot."  
Sage pushed himself to his feet in resignation. "You didn't happen to--"  
"Paper's on the table, boss."  
"You're a lifesaver, Yoko."  
"I know, boss."  
Sage collapsed into a chair by the coffee pot. Pouring himself a large cup, he took the paper, flipping idly through it. A good reporter always kept up on what was happening in the world. Today, it didn't look like much was happening. "Murder, crashes, and scandals; is that all that's in the news?"  
A headline caught his eye. He paused a moment to read the article. "Historian killed at tourist spot? Some headline," he muttered. The article went on: apparently a historian from Odaiba by the name of Rowen Hashiba had been murdered last night at Ai was Hashidate...  
Sage turned pale as he read the name. Rowen Hashiba. The man he was supposed to meet Saturday. The historian who said he had found something in his research...  
Sage put down the cup. Was it possible that someone had killed Rowen to keep te historian from seeing him? Had he discovered something? Sage didn't like this one bit.  
"Hey, Yoko, I just saw this thing in the paper. I'm going to try and get there before the other vultures do, okay? See ya!"  
"Waitasec!" she yelled. "What about the--"  
"I'll work on it later!" And then he was gone.  
Yoko sighed and sat down, taking a sip of her coffee. She might as well take a break...  
  
The first place Sage went to was the actual murder site, Ai wa Hashidate, since it was closer. However, the police weren't saying anything so there was very little to be learned aside from looking at the site. The body had been removed, of course, but there was blood splattered across the ground. The historian had more spunk in him than first thought. He'd gone down fighting. Sage settled for questioning a witness who had stumbled across the body.  
"When did you first find him?"  
"Bout 3 AM in the morning."  
Sage blinked. "What were you doing up that early in the morning?"  
"I work a late shift. There a problem with that?"  
"Not at all. Please, continue. What did you notice about the body?"  
"He was dead."  
"....yes, I gathered that. How did he die?"  
"Slit through the throat. Pretty messy, got blood everywhere."  
"Did you see anyone else here when you found him?"  
"Naw. Course, the body had been lying there for a while. Police say he died around midnight, so he warn't freshly dead, yanno. He had things crawling on him--"  
"Um, thank you, that will do." Sage looked quite green.  
"Am I going to be on TV?"  
"Um..."  
He made a quick exit.  
  
The next place he stopped was the University of Odaiba, where Rowen said he worked. Finding the abandoned office of the dead historian, he wandered around it. ~What did you find, Rowen, that killed you? What did you know?~  
"May I help you?"  
Sage turned. There was a middle aged woman standing in the doorway. "I'm sorry, this office is closed."  
He bowed to the woman. "I apologize. My name is Date Sage. May I talk to you about the person that owned this office?"  
Apparently she recognized the name. "I'm sorry, I'm not available for interviews."  
"This isn't for TV," he replied evenly. "This is for me."  
She watched him dubiously as he took a seat. "Look, I'll share some information with you. Yesterday afternoon, before he died, Rowen called me. He said he had found something in his research, something he wanted to show me. To my knowledge, we're complete strangers, but he seemed to think different. I think this thing he wanted to show me may have been what killed him."  
The woman sat down across from Sage. He glanced at her name tag: Izumi Deiani. "I don't understand. Who would want to kill Rowen? He never hurt a soul. All the kids loved him. He was so helpful, all you had to do is ask and he'd help with anything you had a problem on. He was like a walking encyclopedia, he knew the exact answer to all your questions."  
"So he did a lot of research?" Sage queried.  
"Oh yes. Ro-chan was always researching something or other. Always on a quest for knowledge."  
"You wouldn't happen to know what he was researching, would you?"  
She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. He was always working on six or seven different projects at any given time. It could have been anything."  
Sage looked around the messy office. "Do you suppose his research could have been here somewhere?"  
"It's hard to say. Most of his projects he took home, but he's got so many books there it'd be impossible to find anything. He owned half the library."  
Sage thoughtfully drummed his fingers on the armrest. "What would he have been doing all the way out in Ai wa Hashidate in the first place?"  
"I haven't a clue," the woman confessed. "It doesn't make sense. He's never been there before to my knowledge. Why would he go all the way out there just to be killed?"  
Sage rose. "Thank you for your time, Izumi-san. I'll try to find out all I can about Rowen's killer. If I find out anything, you'll be the first to know."  
"Thank you very much," she said softly.  
  
BRING!!  
Sage slapped the alarm clock to turn it off, accidentally knocking it off the nightstand next to his bed. He looked over at the calendar.   
"Thank kami-sama it's finally Saturday," he muttered. The important deadline had come and gone, and thankfully no one had overdosed on caffiene, though nobody went home Thursday night. "It's my day off, I deserve some sleep..."  
A knock at the door interrupted this train of thought. Sage cursed softly as he got up. Slipping on a robe, he made his way to the door. "Nani?"  
"Are you Date Sage?" the man at the door asked.  
"Hai," he said wearily, wondering what the hell this guy could possibly want.  
"Package for you. Please sign here."  
~Postmen operate way too early,~ Sage grumbled to himself as he scrawled a quick signature. The man handed him a box. With a quick "arigato" Sage shut the door, depositing the box onto the table. He eyed the coffee pot. ~I really don't need more caffiene in my system, but it's the only thing that's going to keep me running today.~ Resigning himself, he started a pot of coffee, then sat down to examine the box. The return address snapped him wide awake.  
  
Rowen Hashiba  
University of Odaiba  
  
"What?" Sage turned the box over in his hands. "But Rowen is dead, has been for a couple of days...It probably took a few days for this to reach me through the mail. So he could have sent this before he died...but that means he would have known he couldn't meet Saturday. What's going on here?" He quickly tore open the box. Inside was a letter and a couple of books. Sage opened the letter first.  
  
Sage,  
I feel my life may be in danger. In case I don't live long enough to meet with you Saturday, I'm sending you these books and this letter. If I do die, it means there's something more to this than just our pasts, Sage. I'm afraid I'm putting your life in danger as well by passing on this information, but it can't be avoided. You have to find the others and find out why our pasts are unreachable, for your sake if no one else's. Enclosed also is a list of the others and a picture. See if it sparks any memories.  
Rowen  
  
Sage put down the letter in thought. If Rowen had known his life was in danger, why hadn't he gone for help? Was this whole tale too unbelievable...or maybe whatever help he got wouldn't be enough to protect him. He picked up the picture and looked at it, then blinked in surprise. The blonde leaning on a blue haired boy was definetely him in his younger years. He'd worn his hair that way, over one eye, until he'd gone into serious reporting. Why didn't he remember this picture? He turned it over. There were scrawled kanji declaring who each person was--Rowen's handwriting, Sage guessed. Sure enough, his name was written identifying him as the blonde. ~Rowen's never met me in person, how could he know?~ The blue haired boy he was leaning on was labeled with Rowen's name.   
A sudden thought striking him, he went for the paper he'd kept from a couple of days ago, the one with Rowen's murder story. There was a recent picture of the historian taken from the university. Sage compared the picture with the one Rowen had sent him. Same person. Sage put down the paper and looked again at the photograph. Three other boys that seemed about his age when the picture had been taken, a younger boy, and an older woman.  
"Mia," he said suddenly. It felt like he was about to remember something...but what? He flipped over the picture. The woman was labeled as Koji Mia. He blinked. Unsettled, he put down the picture and looked at the list.  
  
Mouri Cye--Nagasaki, Church of the Holy Union  
Rei Fuan Kento--Osaka?  
Koji Mia--Odwara?  
Sanada Ryo--??  
Yamano Yuli--??  
  
"Interesting," Sage said to himself as he looked at the books. One was labeled "Yoroi no Densetsu." ~Legend of the mystical armor?~ The other was called "Research into the Ronin Legend," but it was the author's name that caught Sage's eye: a Dr. Koji. ~Wonder if he's related to Mia?~ Getting up, he made a decision as he picked up the phone and dialed the office.  
"Moshi moshi."  
Sage blinked at the voice on the other end. "Yoko? What the hell are you doing there on a Saturday?"  
"Just racking up some overtime, boss. What's up?"  
"Look, Yoko, I'm taking a business trip-slash-vacation. I need a couple weeks off."  
"A couple weeks?" Yoko repeated. "Boss, I dunno..."  
"C'mon, Yoko. I know you can do it for me," Sage pressed.  
"Okay, fine. I'll see what I can do."  
Picking up a duffel bag, he threw in a couple changes of clothes, his wallet, his tape recorder, a portable camcorder, a still camera, and the two books (the list, letter, newspaper, and photo inside one of the covers). He only stopped to change into some fresh clothes before grabbing the bag and leaving. Thanks to Rowen, he knew exactly where he was heading first.  
  
Sage peered up at the building he had stopped outside, the Church of the Holy Union. "Cathedral" would have been a better term for the monstrous building. Taking a breath, he stepped inside.  
"Ohayo, my child," a man in an odd style of kimono greeted him as he entered. "May I help you?"  
"I'm looking for Mouri Cye," Sage replied.  
"You wish to speak to the father?" the man asked.  
"Um...is Mouri-san the father here?"  
The man nodded. "Come this way." He led Sage up the main walk of the church. The reporter couldn't help but gape at the huge arches and delicate stained glass windows that were only part of the architechture. Guiding Sage through one of the side hallways on the other end of the walk, he paused outside a door and knocked. "Father?"  
"Yes, my child?" a reply came from inside.  
"You have a visitor, father."  
"Enter, please," the voice responded as the man opened the door for Sage. He stepped into the room. A man seated on the far side of the desk in the room rose as he entered. He had light blue eyes and messy brown hair, and he wore a kimono of the same style as the first man. "Greetings, my child, and may peace be with you. I am Mouri Cye, a father of this church. May I help you?"  
"Father," Sage said respectfully, "My name is Date Sage. I've come to speak to you about a matter of importance."  
"Please, have a seat," Cye said kindly. Sage noticed the man spoke with a trace of some foriegn accent--English, maybe. Cye waited until Sage had seated himself before returning to his own seat. "What brings you here, my child?"  
"Father, have you ever heard the name Hashiba Rowen?"  
Cye thought about it. "I don't believe so; however, many pass through this church. Is there a reason I should have heard it?"  
Sage passed him the article. Cye read over it. "It is always sad when a child of the earth passes from this world; even more so when he does it at the hands of another brother. May I ask why you have shown this to me?"  
"This is going to sound strange and maybe even a little crazy, Father, but I assure you that what I know of it is true..."  
Cye sat back and listened silently as Sage unfolded the bizarre tale, starting with the phone call Rowen had made to him and ending with the package. He showed Cye the photograph. "Do any of these people seem familiar?"  
Cye looked at the picture with an unreadable expression. He looked up at Sage silently.   
"Do you think you can take a little vacation, father?"  
  
"So. It seems Strata did get word to Halo, after all."  
"I apologize for this oversight," the tall man in the cloak said.   
"And now you have both Halo and Torrent to deal with. You realize that?"  
"I'll dispose of them," the man snapped. "They won't reach anyone else."  
"Just try not to 'dispose' of them in public, all right? Your last disposal attracted enough attention."  
  
"So where do you plan on going next?" Cye asked him. The priest had changed into a more conventional outfit, with a Bible and a few days' clothing in a backpack.   
"According to this list Rowen sent me, we can find Rei Fuan Kento in Osaka, or at least he hoped so. The trouble is, I'm not exactly sure where we can find him once we're here." Sage glanced around the city. At least in Nagasaki he'd known more or less where to look. Osaka was a big city, and this time he didn't even have a clue to go on.  
"Whatcha strangers lookin' for?"  
Both men turned. A girl several years younger than them watched them, unafraid. She was a merry redhead, the curls tied up so they didn't hide her green eyes. She grinned, revealing a dimple among the freckles. "I kin help ya find who yer lookin for...for a price, yanno."  
"How much?" Sage asked, unimpressed. The girl named a sum. Sage shook his head and named one much lower. The two continued haggling until they agreed on a price.  
"So, who is it?" the girl asked once she had pocketed her money.  
"Rei Fuan Kento. Do you know where he lives or works?"  
"Tcha, easy. Kento works wit' his wife Kong, down at the little Chinese place down the way, the Panda Palace. 'S bout three streets down an' four streets over. Nice doin' business with ya!" And then the girl was gone.  
"Strange child," Sage muttered.  
"Judge not, lest ye be judged," Cye replied.  
"Whatever. Let's find this Panda Palace."  
The place in question was a small, rather shabby looking resturant. Sage wrinkled his nose; he'd seen better in smaller cities. Cye, with no sense of discomfort whatsoever, walked in. Walking over to the person behind the cash register, he asked softly, "Pardon me, miss, but can we find Rei Fuan Kento here?"  
"Whatcha wanna see 'im for?" the woman snapped.  
"We're old friends of his," Cye replied. "We'd like to talk to him."  
"No!" the woman snapped. "Yer not gonna see mah Kento. He dun need his old frenz. Dey get 'im in a lotta trouble. Mah Kento's gone clean, yer not gonna see 'im!"  
Sage was grateful Cye was handling this conversation; he was tempted to tell the ill-tempered Chinese woman to blow off. Before he could say so, a large man stepped out from the back room. "Kong, you're not picking another fight with the customers, are you?"  
"Dey ain't customers," the woman stubbornly insisted. "Dey ain't bought nothin' yet. Some o' yer old friends tryin' to get you in trouble, Kento."  
Sage looked Kento over. Even the photograph hadn't prepared him for this...behemoth. Kento was not only tall, but equally thick. He looked like he could rip a train apart with his bare hands. His face was the same boyish one in the photo, however.  
"Aw, Kong, I'm sure they won't be trouble. These guys aren't from those days. Here, just let them come back here while I work."  
"No! Yeh dun need no distractions!"  
"I'll be fine, Kong," he insisted. "Come on back, you two."  
Sage and Cye followed Kento back into the kitchen. The man switched a pair of pans and leaned against the counter. "So, what can I help you fellas with?"  
"You're Rei Fuan Kento?" Sage asked.  
"That's my name, don't wear it out," Kento replied with a grin. "Call me Kento. So, can I ask who you guys are?"  
"I am Mouri Cye, of the Church of the Holy Union," Cye said softly with a bow.  
"And I'm Date Sage. Those names aren't familiar to you, are they?" Sage asked.  
"Well, they are now, we just met!" Kento said. "But other than that, no."  
"Kento, we've got a bit of a strange tale to tell you..." Sage repeated his story as he had done for Cye. To his surprise, the man only smiled more and more as Sage continued talking.  
"I can't believe this!" he exclaimed when Sage had finished. "I knew this would happen one day!"  
Sage and Cye exchanged confused glances.  
Kento absently switched another set of pans as he talked. "I lived a pretty normal life, I guess, til one day I woke up and realized I didn't remember any of my past. I knew I was missing something important...I just kinda wandered after that, wondering what I was missing. I did odd jobs, making enough money to live off, and then, I got into trouble..."  
"What kind of trouble?" Cye asked.  
"Murder," Kento said in a hushed tone.  
"You killed someone?" Sage asked incredulously. This man didn't look like he had the heart to hurt a mosquito.  
"No!" Kento exclaimed. "I would never...but, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and there wasn't anyone who could speak up for me...Kong and her family bailed me out. We're married now. I've just been working here ever since."  
"Kento," Sage said quietly, "come with us. We're searching for these same answers. Come help us."  
Kento's eyes lit up. "Of course I will! I've been waiting for you guys all my life!"  
"Kento?" came a snapped voice from the main room. "Get that double order of fried rice out here now! We're waiting!"  
"Coming, Kong!" Kento picked up one of the pans. "I mean, I will as soon as I clear it with my wife," he added with a sheepish grin. Sage and Cye followed him out of the kitchen.   
"Kong," Kento began softly. "I was wondering if you could possibly let me have just a bit of time off for a bit of business--"  
"No," she interrupted. "I won't have yeh gettin' in trouble 'gain!"  
"Kong, it's not like that. This is something I've been looking for." Kento's eyes were alight with a spark of long-forgotten hope. "This is very important to me, Kong, I promise I won't get into trouble, please, let me go!"  
"i won't hear another word 'bout it!" she replied coldly. "Get back in th' kitchen, Kento, yer needed." Head down, the man reluctantly moved back into the kitchen. "An' you two!" she said fiercely, rounding on Cye and Sage. "Out of m' rest'raunt! I don't need two d'spicable people like yerselves puttin' all these bad idea in 'is head! Out!"  
Sage and Cye beat a hasty retreat out of the Panda Palace. "What a very domineering woman," Cye said calmly.  
"If I wasn't in the presence of a priest, I'd have a lot more to say about her," Sage muttered. "Does she really care about her husband?"  
"Unfortunately, I think now is not the time to interfere with this. Come, Sage. Where is the next place?"  
"We're heading to Odwara next, Cye," Sage replied, oddly realizing he and Cye were now on first-name basis.  
  
"So why there?" Cye asked as Sage turned onto the exit into Odwara.  
"That's where Rowen thought Koji Mia might be. I noticed something else. The one book, Research into the Ronin Legend, is written by a Dr. Koji, who also lived in Odwara. I wonder if they're related."  
"I suppose we shall find out in time," Cye said.  
"Not much bothers you, does it?"  
"Not really," he replied easily.  
Sage was about to reply when something made a lout BANG under the car. "Oh, shit! Whoops, sorry, Cye, but I think we blew a tire." The reporter angrily stepped out the car to examine the tire in question.  
Cye watched out the window idly as Sage examined the tire, then stiffened as he spotted...something. "Sage, watch out!"  
Sage looked up, then leapt back in shock as a curved scimitar buried itself in the side of his car. Grabbing the sword, Sage looked around. "Who's there?"  
"I'd appreciate my scimitar back, if you don't mind," a voice replied. Sage turned warily, finally spotting the speaker: a tall man whose features were concealed by a hooded cloak.  
"Mind telling me why you're throwing swords at me?" Sage growled back. His grip on the scimitar was sure. ~Thank kami-sama for kendo lessons!~  
"Perhaps later," the man replied casually.  
"You're the one that killed Rowen, weren't you?" Sage demanded.  
"He put his nose where it does not belong," the man said, a sinister edge to his voice. Cye had gotten out of the car and was watching the man warily.  
The man made a sudden motion, and the sword was ripped out of Sage's grip. He bit back a cry as his hands were sliced open by the rough hilt. The scimitar flew toward the man, who easily caught it in midair. Sage grimaced. ~I'm helpless against this guy. He's going to kill me like he did Rowen.~  
The man spoke again. "I really don't have a desire to kill you right now, so I'll give you once chance to live. Stop prying where you don't need to pry, Date Sage, Mouri Cye. Otherwise..."  
Suddenly the man vanished. Sage gasped, then whirled. The man reappeared behind Cye, slipping his curved sword in front of his neck.  
"Cye!" Sage called. "Leave him alone!"  
"You can see how easily detached his head can become from his body," the man smirked. Cye had his eyes closed, whispering something.  
"Drop him," Sage snarled. "It's me you want, isn't it?"  
"Unfortunately for him, anyone you drag into this will have their lives forfeit. Don't make Rowen's mistake. He dragged you into this. Just walk away, Sage."  
Sage was silent as the man disappeared again, this time for good. Cye opened his eyes. "Thank you for defending me," he said quietly.  
Sage didn't reply, fetching his bag from the car. He took out the photo again and gazed at it. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Cye."  
"I do not believe in shrinking from evil, even if it costs my life," Cye said quietly. "Do you wish to go on?"  
Sage put the photo back. "I can't. I won't let Rowen's life be a waste. And I don't want to back down from this guy either. Something stinks."  
"Here, let me bandage your hands," Cye said quietly as he picked up his own bag and the car's first aid kit.   
"I just don't want to drag anyone else into this and put their lives at risk," Sage said, looking up at the sky as Cye treated his ripped hands. "It's not fair to them. I hope Kento is all right..."  
"So shall we go on to Odwara, then?" Cye asked.  
"We have to anyway, I'll have to get my car fixed. Then we can see this Mia..."  
  
"You didn't kill them, I noticed."  
"I had them intimidated," the man said. "They knew I could kill them in an instant. That's just as good."  
"Oh?"  
"They won't invesitage any more," the man said confidentally. "They'll be too scared of me."  
The person he was speaking to smiled slightly. "If we were talking about anyone else, I might believe you. But remember what we're up against. Keep an eye on them. If they don't pry anymore, good. If they do, kill them before they get any more involved."  
"Of course."  
  
Mia Koji drummed her pencil on her desk, bored. This job had its perks over her old job at the university: the pay and benefits were better, and it wasn't so hair-tearing stressful, but at times it could be extrodinarily boring being a secretary. She didn't even bother to look up as the two men stepped in the room. "Hasashi-san isn't available right now, can I take a message?"  
"Are you Koji Mia?"  
She looked up...and almost fell over. Those had to be the most beautiful pair of indigo eyes ever belonging to a man. Recovering her composure, she said, a bit flustered, "Yes, I am. May I help you?"  
"My name's Date Sage," he said in response.   
"I am Mouri Cye," the man behind him said.  
"We'd like to speak to you," he continued. "But before we do, you have to know that by telling you what we're about to tell you, we're putting your life in danger."  
"I'm listening." Dying by some strange mysterious cause had to be better than dying of boredom in this office. Besides, she couldn't get enough of that voice!  
Sage resisted the impulse to rub a temple. ~Why do I have the feeling she's fallen for me?~ This wasn't the first time it had happened; it made him rather grateful that Yoko was a lesbian. "Ever hear of a man named Hashiba Rowen?"  
Once again, the bizarre tale unfolded. Once again, instead of labeling the tale as ludicrous and the company as insane, Mia actually believed it. In fact, she even had some ideas of her own.  
"I've just had a thought," she told him. "My grandfather's old mansion, he had a bunch of stuff from when I was younger..."  
"Did he ever write a book?" Sage asked.  
"Why, yes, he did. Now, what was the name of it..."  
Sage produced the book. "Research into the Ronin Legend?" he said.  
"Yes, that was it!" Mia practically snatched the book from him. "Where did you get this?"  
"It was one of the books Rowen sent me," Sage said.  
Mia stood. "Well, let's head up to the mansion! If you've got time, that is. It's rented out, but the attic hasn't been touched in years. Daisuke!" she yelled, pounding on a side door.  
"Eh?" came a reply from inside.  
"I'm going out. Tell someone who cares."  
"Okay, fine," Daisuke muttered.  
  
"By the way," Cye said to Sage as the two got out of his (repaired) car, "I do believe that young woman has a crush on you."  
"Don't remind me," he said dryly. "I have this problem all the time. Am I really that cute or whatever?"  
"I can't really answer that question without sounding gay."  
"..."  
"Hello, Koji-san," the woman at the door greeted the secretary. "How have things been?"  
"Reasonable, Ayami. I'm going to poke around in the attic. Oh, these two guys are with me."  
"You lucky dog," Ayami grinned as the two followed Mia in.  
Cye seemed to be in a bit of a daze as the two men followed Mia up the stairs. "Not as impressive as your church," Sage smiled.  
Cye shook his head. "No, it's not that...I felt like I was trying to remember something. Ah, it's gone now. It'll come to me in time, I suppose."  
Sage shrugged as Mia opened the attic door. "Most of my grandfather's things got moved up here after he died. I never had the heart to sell them."  
"Your grandfather certainly had some--ah, historic--interests," Cye commented as he looked over the wide variety of samurai outfits and weapons cluttering the attic.  
"Oh, where is it?" Mia muttered to herself. She was looking through a chest.  
"Yoroi no Densetsu..." Sage said aloud as he flipped through some of the rolled up papers in a basket. "I still don't understand what this would have to do with us.."  
"Ah! Here it is!" Mia emerged with a large photo album. "I really don't know why I put this in here, this was mine. It's my old photo album." She began flipping the pages eagerly as Sage and Cye looked over her shoulder.  
"Look," she said, tapping a picture with a fingernail. "Here's a group photo much like the one you have, Sage. This is definetely me when I was younger. And this must be you. Hm, you sure had a funny way of doing your hair..."  
"There was a reason behind it. Keep flipping."  
The picture on the next page caught everyone's instant attention.  
"What the--"  
"What are those?"  
"Is that--"  
The picture was similar to many of the others, sporting Sage, Cye, and the other three boys. This one, however, was different in that the five boys were dressed in strange...well, no one could really say what they were.  
"What on Earth..." Cye said quietly.  
"Hold on, give me that book!" Mia flipped through her grandfather's book, stopping on a page. "Look! This is the same style as what you're wearing in this picture. My grandfather calls it subarmor. I think we all need to take a serious look at this book."  
"Look up this, while you're at it." Sage had flipped the page and was looking at the same five boys in another strange type of outfit.   
"Hm," Cye mused, "Those look like some type of samurai armor."  
Sage blinked. "Yoroi no Densetsu! 'Legend of the mystical armor'!"  
"And that's not all," Mia spoke up. "It is said that the five Ronin armors are forged from the purest parts of the human spirit and linked with an element. They are said to have tremendous power. Sage, this is you in the green one. It's called Halo, the armor of light. You are supposed to be the represenation of wisdom in the world. Cye, yours is the armor of Torrent, the one of the sea. You represent trust."  
"A bit of this is starting to make sense," Sage said. "Whoever's blocked our memories of the past, they don't want us using these armors, I'm willing to bet. Which means something bad is going to happen." He looked over at Cye with a rather rueful expression. "Cye, I hope your religion doesn't forbid fighting."  
"Fighting in defense of self or others is acceptable," Cye said. "Considering this is possibly the entire world that could be in danger, I think it's justified. Although my religion does promote exhausting all other options first."  
"Considering they've already killed Rowen, and they've tried to kill both of us, I don't think they'll be real interested in talking. Okay. We have to find the remaining two people." Sage pulled out the list. "Sanada Ryo and Yamano Yuli. The only problem is, Rowen didn't have a clue to where either one might be." Sage stroked his chin in thought. "Wait. I have a bit of an idea. I hope Izumi-san doesn't mind us using her resources for Rowen's sake...."  
  
"It's putting your life at risk if we tell you exactly what Rowen found," Sage was telling Deiani as Mia and Cye flipped through the recent newspapers, records, and other relevant documents. "However, we have met his killer. Rest assured that Rowen's death will not be unavenged."  
"I can't imagine the type of fiend that would have wanted him dead," Deiani said fiercely.  
"I can. It's the same kind of fiend that would kill you without a second thought. I'm sorry, Izumi-san, but this is all I can tell you."  
She nodded reluctantly. "I understand, I think. Hopefully there'll be a day when you can tell me everything. Until then, you're welcome to use Ro-chan's materials and the library." She sighed, looking out the window. "You're the only one that has any lead in this, Date-san. The police haven't so much as recovered the weapon."  
"I suspect they might not," Sage said. "The murderer still carries it."  
She looked over at him, eyes tearing up. "Please help Ro-chan rest in peace, Date-san. Find his killer, for my sake as well. I can't feel right again until a monster that would do such a thing is brought to justice."  
"I will, Izumi-san. But, please, call me Sage."  
"Then call me Deiani."  
"Hey! Sage!" Mia's call interrupted their conversation. Cye had noted, with some amusement, that Mia wasn't very fond of all the attention Sage was giving the middle-aged professor. "I think I found something!"  
Sage walked over to her, stepping over the large pile of papers she had already gone through. "You're very efficient, Mia."  
"Work at a university and then an office, it's kind of a necessity. Look at this." She passed him an article.  
"Hm. Looks like our man," Sage said to himself. The article was about a prominent young skateboarder by the name of Yamano Yuli. According to this, Yuli had his base of operations in Tokyo. "Great job, Mia. We know where we're heading next."  
Cye stood, one paper clutched in his hands. "Too bad Ryo wasn't so easy to find. The most recent article I could find on him was about two years ago. It talks about a man who travels with a tiger, and this picture looks like him, so I guess this is him..."  
Sage nodded. "Mia, Ryo was seen with a tiger in a lot of your pictures, wasn't he?"  
"Hai."  
Cye shrugged helplessly. "This is the best I could do. About two years ago he was in Hiroshima. Who knows where he is now."  
Sage shrugged. "I guess we'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. C'mon, let's hightail it to Tokyo!"  
  
"It's inevitable they'll find each other now. So much for them being too scared to continue."  
The tall man scowled. "I'll kill them. Rest assured."  
"That's not good enough. All right. This pushes our plans a bit ahead of schedule, but we'll have to deal. Send out the retrievers. Dispose of all of them. I would prefer if you killed the other two first before they meet with the other three and caught on."  
"What about Hardrock?"  
The person he was speaking to waved a hand. "Deal with him after we've tied up the other loose ends. He's not going anywhere. He knows nothing."  
"As you wish, I suppose..."  
  
"What?"  
The secretary looked up at the three people. "That's right. He hasn't been seen since."  
Sage rubbed his chin, making a mental note that he needed to shave. "Why would he just up and run away?"  
"Well," the secretary said as she returned to her computer, "if you find him, you can ask him."  
Sage looked quite depressed as the three left the office. "Great. With Yuli gone, we've got no leads whatsoever. What are we supposed to do now?"  
"I have an idea," Mia spoke up.  
Sage looked at her hopefully. "Yeah?"  
Mia inserted her arm around his. "Why don't we get something to eat right now and worry about this later? We'll think better on full stomachs."  
"I guess you're right," he mummered, defeated. "Let's eat."  
"How about a picnic?" Mia suggested. "I know a great park downtown."  
"Whatever," he replied.  
Mia mentally sighed. Was there any way to cheer this man up right now?  
  
Underneath Tokyo, a shadow crept along the side of a sewer wall. The shadow belonged to a young man, small but well-built. He pushed his dark brown hair out of his blue eyes as he cast a swift glance around. Then he stiffened as he heard a low chuckle behind him.  
"Go on, little boy, keep running."  
"I'm not a little boy," he growled. Nonetheless he backed down the tunnel, edging away from the voice.  
"Oh, but you are. Go on, keep running. I like to play with my prey."  
Silently the boy slipped around the wall and began running down a side tunnel. How could he possibly explain this inhuman assassin to his company? He wasn't going to put them in danger, so that's why he'd left. Yuli glanced back to see if the woman was following, only to run into someone in front of him.  
The figure reacted immediately, slamming him against the wall and pressing a knife to his throat. Yuli caught his breath as the figure leaned in close, observing him with piercing blue eyes.  
"Blue eyes," he muttered. "It's not him." The figure released him.  
"Who are you?" Yuli coughed, trying to get his breath back.  
"It doesn't matter," the voice replied curtly.  
"It matters if you're going to try and take my head off!" Yuli snapped.  
"Look," the older man snarled, "if someone was after your life, you'd be a little edgy too."  
Yuli paused. "Someone not quite human?"  
The man stopped, looking back at Yuli. "How do you know?"  
"I've seen her face," he replied evenly.  
The man shook his head. "I'm being hunted by a him. No matter. Come with me, kid. We might be a little safer together."  
Slightly relieved that someone understood his plight but stung by the "kid" comment, Yuli followed. "So what's your name?"  
The man didn't answer for a brief moment. "Ryo," he said finally. "Sanada Ryo."  
"I'm Yamano Yuli," Yuli replied.   
"Nice to meet you, I s'pose," Ryo muttered. "Might have been a little better if we had met under different circumstances."  
Yuli paused as a sound echoed out of one of the side tunnels. "This way," he said, pulling on Ryo's sleeve.  
Ryo resisted. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.  
"I thought I heard something--like a bell, kinda."  
"So?" Ryo was unconvinced.  
"I don't know why...but I trust it. Just go with me on this hunch, okay?"  
"You're asking me to trust someone I just met?" Ryo snorted.  
"Yeah." Yuli looked back at Ryo. "Kinda putting a lot of trust in you, isn't it?"  
Ryo looked down the tunnel. "Fine, but you're responsible for your own life."  
"Fine with me."  
  
"See?" Mia said. "Isn't this a lovely place?"  
Sage shrugged. Mia sighed as she flicked a lock of auburn hair out of her eyes. "It is very lovely," Cye agreed. "I haven't ever really visited Tokyo."  
"C'mon, Sage, Cye," Mia said as she spread the lunch out on a blanket, "let's think about something else right now. We won't be any good all worked up and frazzled out."  
Cye wandered a bit, gazing around at all the greenery. Just as he was about to turn back, he ran full face into someone. That 'someone' instantly threw him to the ground, drawing a knife. A chocked cry was all Cye managed to get out.  
Sage heard it. He had sprung up in an instant, dashing to the rescue. Catching Cye's attacker full on, he tried to knock the knife out of the man's hand. The two fell to the ground, the former trying to stab the latter, the latter trying to disarm the former.  
Sage managed to flip the man onto his back, glaring at his opponent. Then his eyes widened in surprise as those indigo irises bore into the dark blue eyes of the other man. A faint memory, something he couldn't quite place a finger on...  
"Do I......" he began.  
"......know you?" the other man finished.  
Sage released the man and got off him, while the other sheathed his knife. "Who are you?" the man demanded in a husky tone.  
"Who are you?" Sage replied evenly.  
"What's it to ya?" another voice demanded. Sage looked up at a younger man who had just arrived on the scene. Cye was still regaining his breath while Mia came running up. She gaped at the young man. "You're Yamano Yuli, aren't you?"  
"That's him?" Sage echoed.   
The boy in question groaned. "Aw, man..."  
"Whoa, hold on," Sage quickly said. "We're not rabid fans or anything. We've been looking for you."  
"For what?" Yuli said dubiously.  
"I should warn you," Sage said quietly, "if we tell you, it could put your life in danger."  
"So what?" Yuli said wearily. "My life's already in danger, what's the diff?"  
The other three exchanged glances. "You wouldn't be in danger from a tall man in a cloak, would you?"  
"What do you know of him?" the other man snapped suddenly.  
Sage looked over at him. If he was being attacked as well... "You're Sanada Ryo, aren't you?"  
The hand went back to the knife hilt. "Who wants to know?"  
"Whoa, calm down," Sage said, raising his hands. "We're not out to get you or anything. Look, it's kinda a long story..."  
  
Ryo and Yuli listened on as, once again, Sage unfolded the whole bizarre tale. Mia thought to give them some food; Yuli looked like he hadn't eaten in a while.  
"This explains a few things," Ryo said thoughtfully, closing his eyes.  
"It also brings up a few questions," Sage said. "That man said he would leave us alone if we didn't pry any more into our pasts. You guys haven't done any investigating, so why attack you?"  
"Maybe we're too much of a risk," Yuli said. "They'd rather have us dead than alive and able to figure out what the hell's going on."  
"The problem is," Mia interjected, "now that we've found everyone, what are we supposed to do now?"  
"Why, that's when I make my appearance."  
Sage and Ryo were on their feet in an instant, Yuli a fraction of a moment behind. "Who's there?"   
"At ease, Ronins," a voice greeted them. "I'm on your side. Have been for quite a while, though I suppose you won't remember that."  
"Show yourself," Sage demanded.   
A man stepped from behind the bushes. He was dressed in an old style of monkish outfit, complete with a jangling staff. He had red-brown hair that reached down past his shoulders, and vivid green eyes. "I'm Anubis, remember me?"  
"So what do you want?" Yuli asked warily.  
Anubis smiled slightly. "You three can sit down. What are you going to do, kill a ghost?"  
Mia blinked in surprise. This guy certainly didn't look dead. Sage, Ryo, and Yuli all slowly sat down. "That's better," Anubis said, then he grew serious. "I know of the people that are trying to kill you. They blocked your memories so you wouldn't be able to stop whatever plan they're going to put into action."  
"So what can we do about this, Anubis-san?" Cye asked.  
"Do you recall the armors?" When they nodded, slightly unsure, he continued. "You need to retrieve them so you can fight these daemons. Unfortunately, they've already secured two of the armors: Strata, the armor of Rowen, and Hardrock, the armor of Kento. Oh, I have a bit of a surprise for you. You can come out now," Anubis called into the bushes behind him. A single man, dressed in rather rumpled clothes, stepped out.  
"Hi, minna," Rowen Hashiba said merrily. "Miss me?"  
Sage gaped, blinked in surprise, and gaped some more. "Rowen??" he asked, finally finding his voice. "How did--I mean--why--what--"  
"Whoa, slow down, you're going to give yourself a heart attack," Rowen laughed.  
"Rowen," Sage said quietly, "I thought you were dead..."  
"I was," he replied seriously. "Anubis was able to preserve my life force within the shajuko."  
"The Ronin of Life earned his title," Anubis said dryly.  
"Yeah, lucky me, I s'pose."  
"How are we going to explain this one to the police and everyone who thinks you're dead, I wonder," Mia said ruefully.  
"We can worry about that later," Anubis said. "Right now, you have to get the remaning three armors before the daemons do. Mia, in your grandfather's book, there should be a poem which will tell you where to go."  
She nodded. "Right."  
Anubis looked over at the four older men. "I hate to say it, but once again the fate of the world is in your hands." Then he blinked. "Where is Kento?"  
"He's got a bitch for a wife," Sage muttered.  
"Sage!"  
Anubis sighed in worry. "That'll make things a bit risky. I hope he will be all right...Mia, Yuli, will you come with me for a minute?"  
The older woman and younger man looked at each other, then followed Anubis into the woods.  
  
"What do you think he wants, Mia?" Yuli whispered.  
"I guess we'll find out..."  
Anubis turned to them. "You two are the only ones I can trust with what I'm about to give you," he said softly. "The Ronins--the others, that is--will have enough problems on their own. I can't trust an outsider. You two are the only ones besides those five that know what happened ten years ago."  
"But we don't--" Mia began.  
Anubis waved it off. "You will in time. Mia, to you I entrust the shajuko of the Ancients. It has great powers to be used for the side of peace. Use it to protect." He held out the staff, the rings jangling slightly.  
Yuli perked up. "That's the ringing I heard down in the tunnels!"  
"It is. I used it to lead you and Ryo to the others. Mia, touch the staff."  
She did so, mystified. As her hand came in contact with it, it disappeared in a bright flash of yellow light. "Wha--"  
"The shajuko is connected to you now," Anubis explained. "It will come when you call it. Now, Yuli. As I gave Mia the power to protect, so I give you the power to fight. I leave in your hands the Armor of Spring. Be careful with it, Yuli. Unlike the tempered power of the shajuko, the armor is a wild, untamed power. If your heart is not pure, you can be drawn into evil. And without your memories, you can't imagine the sheer power it has. Open your hand, Yuli."  
He did, expression serious. "You can trust me, Anubis-san. I won't let you down."  
Anubis smiled slightly as he placed a small amber orb into Yuli's hand. Unlike the shajuko, it did not disappear in a flash of light, so Yuli tucked it securely into his pocket.  
"Why give us these things, Anubis-san?" Mia asked.  
"The Ronins will need your help, I'm sure of it," Anubis said seriously. "I fell in the last battle against evil. I can't help them. Even now, I'm being called back to my eternal rest...You must stop this evil. Keep this world safe..."  
"Anubis-san!" both exclaimed in surprise as the man just...faded away. "He's gone..." Mia said quietly.  
Yuli turned. "Come on, Mia. If the world's going to be saved, we'd better not beat around the bush."  
  
"Okay," Rowen was saying as the two returned, "There's three armors left. We can't waste any time, but we don't want to put anyone at risk. So I think we should go in pairs. The daemons already have my armor, so I'll help Cye find Torrent. Yuli," he said, looking up, "you go with Ryo to Fuji-san to find the Wildfire armor."  
"Right."  
"Mia, you help Sage find the Halo armor. According to your grandfather's book, it should be at the Pinnacles. Okay. Once we get those armors, let's meet back at..."  
"How about at my house in Odwara?" Mia suggested. "We've got some spare rooms."  
"All right. We can plan what to do from there based on what we've got. Any other questions?"  
"What about Kento?" Cye asked softly.  
Rowen considered. "Give me the phone number for that Panda Palace place he works. I'll see if he's okay. After we regroup at Odwara, we can figure that out."  
"Right. Let's move out!"  
  
"So this is Fuji-san," Yuli said in awe. "Didn't think it'd be so..."  
"Big?" Ryo prompted.  
"Impressive, yes."  
"Drinking strength from immortal fire," Ryo muttered. "According to that book, the armor is somewhere inside the volcano. Great. That doesn't make this job too hard..."  
Yuli wiped at his brow. "I see your point."  
Ryo shrugged. "Well, there's gotta be some way of getting to it. C'mon, kid, let's start climbing."  
"I'm not a kid," Yuli muttered crossly as he followed Ryo up the mountain.  
For a shrimp, the kid did have decent endurance, Ryo noted to himself. ~Hopefully he won't slow me down too much...~  
Upon reaching the rim, both looked over into the volcano. "Whoa..." Yuli panted.  
"Sh," Ryo urged. Something was happening, he was sure of it. Whatever it was, it was making his blood stir and the hairs on the back of his neck rise.  
"Look down there!" Yuli hissed, pointing. Ryo looked down. On a ledge just below the pair, something red sparkled. "Think that's it?"  
"I know it is," Ryo said softly. Lowering himself into the volcano carefully, he began to climb down to the ledge.  
"You want a rope or something?" Yuli asked.  
"We don't exactly have a rope," Ryo said shortly. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't distract me."  
"Excuse me for asking," Yuli muttered under his breath.  
"Almost there..." Ryo muttered to himself. He stretched out one arm, reaching for the small red orb. "Got it..."  
His fingers brushed against the orb. The armor reacted to his touch, disappearing in a flare of light. ~What the--~ Red light swirled around him, and Ryo almost thought he could smell sakura blooms. The light solidified, forming the red armor around his body. Ryo gasped in surprise, eyes snapping wide open.  
~a tiger~  
~battle~  
~Talpa~  
~Wildfire~  
~the guys~  
~nether realm~  
~dark shadows...~  
Above, Yuli had to shield his eyes as the red light seemed to explode from the ledge. After a few seconds, Yuli chanced a look back over. Ryo seemed to be wedged between a couple of the rocks, and he wasn't moving. "Ryo! Ryo, are you okay?" Yuli called down.  
"Offhand, I'd say he's in shock."  
Yuli whirled, his face a picture of anger. He knew that voice. "Poor boy. All those emotional memories must have been too much to handle."  
"You!" Yuli snapped in surprise and fury. "What are you doing here?"  
The daemon woman smiled slightly, idly playing with the sword in one hand. "Our game isn't up, child."  
"I'm twenty years old," Yuli growled. "I'm not a child."  
"Oh, but you are," the woman smiled. She casually pointed a hand at Yuli, and some unseen force threw him back painfully against the rocks. "I'll deal with you in a bit. This has to be the easiest job I've ever done, killing an unresponsive man and a baby."  
Yuli had been taunted too much. He felt around for the armor orb. ~Please don't let the memories overwhelm me...~  
The woman looked over the edge. Ryo was still, eyes wide open and breath coming in short pants. ~Too easy!~ She was about to leap down to the ledge when something slashed across her arm. She shrieked in pain and whirled to face Yuli in the armor of Anubis. "You wretched child! You hurt me!"  
"I told you once before," he said, voice low and dangerous as he raised the kusari-gama dripping with her blood, "I am not a child."  
She hissed, switching the sword into her other hand and holding it in a defensive position. With her wounded arm, she drew out a whip. "I'll see you kneel at my feet, brat!"  
"We'll see" was his reply as he leapt at her, slicing furiously. The daemon was surprised to find she was actually being a bit pressed to block his blows. Snapping her whip around his ankle, she tried to trip him and toss him over the edge. Yuli fell to the ground. He gave a swift tug to the whip, causing the daemon to stumble forward. As she did, Yuli threw the end of the kusari-gama at her, using the scythe end to slice at the whip around his ankle. The daemon screamed in fury as the chain end hit her. Yuli regained his feet and attacked again, hoping to push her off the rim. Instead of counterattacking, she ducked underneath his blows, grabbing him and forcefully pulling him to the ledge. Yuli fell, only managing to catch the edge of the rim, the daemon clinging to his foot.  
"Let go!" Yuli snarled as he kicked out with his free foot. He delivered a couple of good blows to her unprotected face before she dropped, landing on a ledge below.   
"Good job, boy," she sneered, pointing at him.   
Yuli bit back a cry as that unseen force pressed him against the rocks. ~Gotta let go...~ He dropped onto a ledge several feet away. "Quake with fear!" he yelled, throwing the chain end at her.   
It missed, lodging itself in the rock beside her. "Nice shot, boy," she smirked.  
"I'm not done yet," he muttered. As he remembered, chains sprung back out of the rock, going every which way. The daemon gasped in surprise as the chains knocked her off the ledge, suspending her above the lava.  
Her eyes widened in fear. "Let me down!" she screamed.  
"Why should I?" Yuli growled.  
She began to panic. "I take it back. You're not a child. I'll stop attacking you, only please let me down! You wouldn't refuse a lady, would you?" She turned tearful eyes to him.  
The boy seemed to be thinking it over. "I've never turned down a request from a lady. I'll let you down."  
She smiled at him. Inside, she was practically laughing with glee. What a fool!  
The chains around her vanished. "I said I'd let you down," Yuli said softly. "I never said I wouldn't let you drop." He turned away, ignoring her screams as she fell to her fiery death. Leaping to the ledge Ryo was on, he gently shook the older man. "Hey. Wake up."  
Ryo didn't respond. Yuli frowned, then gave him a quick slap across the face. Ryo started. "Huh? What--"  
"It's okay," Yuli said softly. "You're all right."  
"Yuli." He looked over the younger man. "You're wearing the armor of Anubis. And you're bleeding. What happened?"  
"Huh?" Yuli wiped at his cheek. The daemon must've nicked him. "I was just settling a score. C'mon, let's get out of here."  
Ryo eyed him. "If you say so."  
  
Sage was silent during the drive to the Pinnacles. Why, oh why, had Rowen paired him with Mia? He was extremely uncomfortable working with women because of the tendency they had to flirt with him.   
"You're awfully quiet, Sage," Mia said suddenly, not looking at him because her eyes were on the road. "Something wrong?"  
He shrugged awkwardly. "Mia, can I ask you a few questions?"  
"Sure, shoot. Oh, we're here," she said, stopping the car.  
Sage got out, looking around at the large stone columns for a moment. "Mia...do you think I'm...attractive?"  
She raised an eyebrow. "Any girl with eyes would think that."  
He tried to contain a sigh, but failed. Was there one woman who could get past his looks? "Well, it's true," Mia said defensively. "I mean, any girl would love to run their hands through that nice thick hair, and you've got a good build, and a nice ass..."  
Apparently no one had told him this one before. He turned and gaped at her.  
"What?"  
He turned and kept walking. So much for that idea. All women were shallow.  
"You know what your best feature is, though?" she chattered as she followed him. "Your eyes."  
He blinked. No one had ever told him THAT one before. Whe he was younger, he'd worn his hair over one eye because his two-eyed stare frightened some. "Why is that?"  
"They say the eyes are a window to the soul, you know," she said reflectively. "That's what I noticed first about you. I mean, you looked so earnest, and gentle..."  
He paused outside the cave entrance, looking at her with some confusion. She looked right back at him unhesitatingly. "You've been told you were loved before, but all they wanted to do was hold your hand and kiss you, and maybe have a little fun on the side. They never looked at you, really. Am I right?"  
~How did she know?~ He looked back at her, looking into her eyes. ~A window to the soul...~ "You know this," he said softly, "because it's been done to you. Am I right?"  
She blinked in surprise. "Yes....it has."  
Sage took a seat on one of the rocks, Mia sitting next to him. He looked up at the sky. "Do you...well..."  
"I was trying not to," she confessed. "At first I thought you'd just be one of those egotistical pimps who use women and then leave them--"  
"Never!" he interrupted vehemently. "I'm not that type of person!"  
"I know," she said gently.   
He looked over at her. "At first I thought you'd just be another woman who was after my body--"  
"I'm not that type of person," she interrupted.  
"I know." He felt a slight touch of color come to his cheeks as he looked at her. ~Dammit! Why am I blushing? I've never done this around a woman before...~ Then he noticed his hand was on hers. He hurriedly moved it. ~What's wrong with me?~  
"Sage," she said quietly, "if I'm making you uncomfortable, I'll stop. I won't say another word on this subject if you don't want me to. Just tell me and I'll quit."  
He opened his mouth to tell her yes. Then they could act on a friendly businesslike level and all this awkwardness could be avoided. To his surprise, he discovered he didn't want that. "No."  
"No?" she said with some confusion.  
"No," he repeated with a bit more confidence. "Mia...I..."  
She smiled at him. "I understand." She leaned against his side with a small sigh. Sage stiffened in surprise, then slowly relaxed. ~This isn't so bad...~  
She looked up at the sky, head on his shoulder. "This is nice."  
"Mm-hmm," he mumbled as he hesitatingly slid an arm around her.  
"Sage, you don't ever have to kiss me, or marry me, or even tell me you love me. Just let me stay near you. I'll be content."  
"Mia..." Her last words were like Cupid's arrow through his tender heart. He lifted her chin with one hand, gazing into her large blue eyes. "A window into the soul, huh?"  
"Yes."  
"I like what I see" was his response as his lips gently brushed against hers, then the kiss deepened. Two people had finally found what they were looking for.  
The embrace was abruptly cut short as Sage broke off with a cry of pain. "Sage!" Mia screamed as she saw the sword protruding out of his abdomen. Behind him, the daemon smirked as he withdrew his sword.  
"My thanks to you, lady," he said with a sardonic smile. "You made sneaking up on him easy."  
"You..." Sage growled.  
"Me," the tall man agreed. "What's the matter, Sage? You don't seem too happy to see me again."  
Sage didn't reply, biting his lip as pain shot through him. "What do you want?" Mia demanded.  
"I warned him," he man said easily. "I told him I would kill him if he kept prying. He can't say I didn't."  
~Anubis, help me! I need the power of the mystical staff,~ Mia thought desperately to herself. It materialized in her hands. "You'll have to get through me first, daemon!"  
"Mia," Sage groaned.  
"Sage, get into the cave and find that armor! I'll cover you," she called back. "Go, now!"  
Without a glance back the wouunded man stumbled into the cave. ~According to my grandfather, the armor of light has healing properties. That's Sage's only chance.~  
The daemon smiled. "So the woman wants to play, hmm?"  
"I'll make you regret underestimating me."  
"We shall see."  
  
Inside the cave, the dark chambers were alive with the sounds of dripping and other odd echoes. The sound of harsh breathing mingled among the noise, along with the slow scrape of a hand sliding across the wall.  
~I'm losing blood...~ Already he was starting to feel dizzy. ~Gotaa find the armor...gotta keep it away from him...~  
~And then what?~ a voice inside his head answered him. ~Even if you find it before you die, you won't live much longer.~  
~I don't know. Mia...~ A drop of water ran down his cheek, and he was unsure whether it was a drip from the cave, perspiration, or his own tear. It had to be one of the first two; he didn't remember the last time he'd cried.  
He looked up suddenly. Something was nearby, he could feel it. His scalp tingled as he pushed forward. Could it be the armor?  
Abruptly, the floor gave way underneath him. He let out a choked cry as he fell several feet, landing with a sickening crunch. Pain flared up in his leg. ~Great. On top of everything else, now I have a broken leg.~  
He blinked as he realized this cave was a bit brighter than the others. He looked up, spotting a small green orb letting off a soft green light. ~Is that it?~  
Forcing himself up on his uninjured leg, he reached for the orb. His fingers closed around it. ~I got it!~  
He fell to his knees as the armor formed around him, surrounding him with old memories. ~I remember now! My friends...~ He sucked in a breath, running a hand down his leg. It was healed. He didn't feel any pain anymore. ~Has my armor restored me?~  
"Mia!" He sprang to his feet. Was she okay? With an effortless leap, he jumped back up through the hole he had fallen through. "I'm coming, Mia!"  
  
The woman in question was wondering what she could possibly do to stall for more time. ~He's slicing me up. Too much more of this and I'll drop. I have to buy Sage more time!~  
The tall man regarded her with a look. "Amusing as this has been sparring with you and your little toy, I have work to do, so if you'll excuse me..."  
She held the shajuko up shakily. "I said you'll have to get past me first."  
He sighed patiently. "If you insist." He seemed to vanish. Mia looked around, unaware that he had reappeared behind her. He dealt her a blow to the head, felling her.  
"Mia! Get away from her!"  
The daemon turned to see Sage in full armor running toward him, no datchi in hand. He smiled. "Finally, a real challenge," he smirked, drawing his own scimitar.   
Sage leapt upon him, slashing with a fury born of loss. The daemon found himself being pushed back. ~Impossible that he could be that much stronger and faster. Is the power of the armor that great?~  
Sage whirled the no datchi in a fancy pattern, slicing apart the man's cloak. Golden eyes blinked in surprise. "Nice moves. I'll enjoy making you eat them."  
"We'll see. This is for Mia!" he yelled as he sliced horizontally, catching the daemon in the chest. He hissed in pain and anger. "You'll pay for that, boy!" He charged, twirling his blade in an attempt to disarm the man.  
"I've seen that one before. This is for Rowen, fiend!" Sage turned the move against the user, the scimitar flying away. The daemon made a move to get it back, but Sage blocked him, dealing him another blow.  
The daemon looked up at him, feeling the first twinges of fear. The man's eyes were glowing, a fierce bright blue. The daemon paled as that wrathful look was turned on him.  
"This is for Deiani and Cye and all the others you have caused pain to," he said as he raised his sword. "This is for all of us because of what you made us lose, and for the world you threatened. But most of all, this is for me."  
"Why is that?" the daemon managed to get out.  
"Because I want to see you die," Sage said softly, lifting his no datchi into the air. Lightning descended from the skies, surrounding him with a green light.  
"Thunderbolt Cut!" was the last words the daemon would ever hear.  
Sage stood for a moment, panting slightly, then he almost dropped his no datchi as he ran to Mia's side and knelt by her.  
"Mia?" He ran an armored hand over her wounds, healing them. "Don't worry. I'm here. You'll be all right now."  
"Sage..." Mia whispered as she opened her eyes. "You found it..."  
"You're all right," he said in relief. "You did it."  
"Sage," she continued, "I remember...You must have restored my memories with your armor."  
"I'm glad you waited for me," he replied.  
"I could never love another," she mummered. Sage smiled down at her, eyes watering, as he lifted her to him and hugged her gently. "C'mon, warrior, we should start heading back."  
  
Kento was having another nightmare. He turned agitatedly on his makeshift bed, mummering incomprehensible things under his breath. Suddenly, with a cry, he said up yelling.  
"Hardrock!" he panted. "What does it mean?"  
It was something from his past, he was certain. Sliding on a pair of slippers, he padded down the hall to his wife's room. Despite being married, the two of them had never slept in the same room. He knocked at the door. "Kong? Kong, honey, are you awake?"  
"What do you want?" his wife snapped from the other side of the door in her usual fashion.  
"Kong....um, may I come in?"  
There was the shuffling of footsteps on the other side, then the petite Chinese woman opened the door. "Whaddya want?" she growled, squinting at him.  
"Kong..." The words suddenly came out in a rush. "Kong, if I stay here, I'll die. I have to go. My friends, my past is calling me!"  
"So?" she snapped, unimpressed. "You dishonor me, Kento. I pull you outta da gutter, raise you up from the nothing you were! And this is how you repay me?"  
"Kong, it won't be forever. I'll come back as soon as I'm done. I promise." He reached out to gently put a hand to her face, but she slapped it away.  
"Ingrate! Lazy, good-fer-nothin' sonofabitch! Fine, go on! See if I care! You never was worth nothin' anyway! See if I ever help ya again! Da cops can have you fer all I care!"  
He bit his lip, hurt. "Kong..."  
"Dun 'Kong' me! Dat's all I ever hear outta you, you bastard, streetwalker's son! Yeh dun deserve to be standing in mah house!"  
He looked her straight in the eye. "Kong, after all this time, I've done nothing but love you with all of my heart--"  
She slapped him across the face. "Liah!"  
Kento snapped. He grabbed her wrist, eyes narrowed. "Don't ever slap me. After I bled my heart out for you, after I devoted my every moment to YOUR happiness, you dare to say that to me? I gave you everything, Kong, and you just spat upon it and treated me like your little man-slave. You bitch...if you had ever once said you even cared for me...I told you I loved you, and you never did that back. Not even a bit." He let go of her wrist, pushing her to the ground. "I don't care if you send the cops after me or not. I'm not staying here anymore. You can consider our marriage finished." He stormed out of her room, stopping only to change into some new clothes.   
"Fine!" Kong yelled from the floor. "You sonofabitch, git outta mah house! Dun ever come back here again!"  
Kento walked for a time, and walked and walked. Eventually his anger gave way into pain and hurt. Bottling it all up inside, he began thumbing for a ride...  
  
"So, Cye," Rowen said causually, putting his feet on the dashboard. "How'd you get into the whole religious stuff, anyway? It's not exactly like Christains are big around here. I'm assuming you're Christain..."  
"It's a branch of Catholicism, to be precise," Cye said. "The truth is, I was making my way through life and suddenly I was called to this church. I believe it was the hand of God."  
Rowen shrugged. "Well, whatever floats your boat. Hey, what's that around your neck?"  
Cye held it up. It was a small cross on a beaded necklace. "It's a rosary. It's used in prayer." He parked the car. "Well, this is the Sea of Toyama. Let's head down to the swirling salt."  
"I hope you can swim, Cye," Rowen remarked dryly as the two of them observed the whirlpools from the docks. "Well, you wanna go ahead in? I'll make that phone call to Kento for you."  
"Thanks," Cye said as he grabbed a pair of swim trunks out of his bag and went into the nearest place with a bathroom to change. Rowen headed over to the nearest pay phone and dialed the number Sage had given him. "Hello, is this the Panda Palace?"  
"Shure is," the voice on the other end said.   
Female. ~Must be the virago.~ "I heard you have a cook named Kento Rei Fuan who cooks the best Chinese-style fried rice in Japan."  
"We shure do! No better rice in da world, you'll find!"  
"Awesome!" Rowen twisted the cord around a finger idly. "Hey, do you suppose if I came to Osaka he could me make me up a batch?"  
"O'course!"  
"Wonderful! I'll be over in a few days at the latest, I have to drive across country. See you then!"  
"Buh bai!"  
Click. Rowen smiled to himself as Cye came back out. "They wouldn't let me use the bathroom without buying something. Want a keychain?" he asked, holding up a souvenir whale.  
"Nah."  
Once back at the bridge, Rowen eyed the whirlpools apprehensively. "You sure you can handle that?"  
"I'm a good swimmer. I'll be fine."  
"Suit yourself," Rowen said with a shrug.  
"God will keep me safe," Cye said with a smile. Then he dove in.  
Rowen sat on the back, watching the water turn idly. It certainly was peaceful here. So peaceful, in fact, he didn't notice until too late when a hand grabbed him around the neck.  
  
Cye swam around, looking, marveling at the wonders of life the Creator had put under the sea. To his surprise, the sea creatures didn't seem afraid of him at all; in fact, one, a large killer whale, swam right up to him and nudged him. Then it opened his mouth. Unafraid, Cye looked in. A glowing orb was sitting on the whale's tongue.  
~That must be it!~ Cye thought to himself, reaching for it. The armor swirled onto his form as he touched it. ~My God!~ The memories hit him full force. ~I remember!~ "Suiki?" he managed to get out.  
Kicking his way back to the surface, he looked around triumphantly for Rowen. Then he froze as he saw the man's hands locked around a pair around his throat. "Rowen! Hold on!"  
"What do you think I'm doing?" Rowen muttered under his breath as the daemon behind him tightened his grip.  
Cye pushed his way to shore with help from Suiki. "Let him go!"  
"Worry about yourself, Ronin!" a voice snapped as something landed heavily on him. Cye yelped as he was crushed against the ground. Rolling over, he tried to push himself out from under the daemon. ~Dear God, help me!~ "Rowen! Grab my rosary!"  
Rowen quickly fumbled around for it with a hand, tossing it to Cye as the daemon squeezed the last brath out of his throat, causing him to black out.  
Cye scrabbled for it, thrusting it blindly in the daemon's face. "Begone, unholy presence!"  
The daemon screamed as the flailing necklace caught him in the eye. He fell back. Cye got up and pointed his yari at the other daemon. "Let him go, now!"  
The daemon tossed the unconscious historian to the ground, leaping to his feet. "You can't beat two of us at once, Torrent!"  
Cye glanced behind him warily as the other daemon approached him from behind. He began to mummer under his breath. "And even though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and staff, they comfort me." The daemon in front charged first, and Cye easily blocked him with his yari. While holding the first back, he lashed out with an elbow and caught the second in the mouth. The second reeled back, but quickly recovered and dealt Cye a blow to the head. He crumpled.  
"Let's finish him," the first smirked as he prepared his sword to stab the priest. Suddenly he gaped as his feet were lifted off the ground. He gagged from the hand that was wrapped around his neck, then abruptly quit as his neck was snapped clean in half. The other daemon stared, then charged, but the mysterious assailant grabbed him without a second thought and broke him in two as easily as breaking a twig.  
"Who...." the daemon trailed off before dying.  
The man scooped up Rowen gently in his arms, then went over and shook Cye on the shoulder. "Cye? Are you all right?"  
He stirred, then opened his eyes. "What happened? I was fighting, or so I thought...Kento!"  
The large man smiled down at his friend. "Yeah, you're alright! You had me worried, bud."  
Cye changed out of his armor and began putting his clothes back on. "What about Rowen? Is he okay?"  
"He might be a little bruised and tender around the neck, but he's okay."  
"Thank God!"  
"Where are the others?" Kento questioned.  
"Here, put Rowen in the car. I'll explain as we go."   
At this point, Rowen began to stir. "Ugh...does anyone have any Advil?"  
"Rowen!" Cye said in relief.  
"Huh? Where'm I?" Rowen looked around before realizing he was in Kento's arms. "Kento! Where did you come from?"  
Kento paused as he put Rowen down on the back seat. "I left her, Rowen. I..I couldn't stay anymore..."  
"Kong?" Cye inquired softly.  
Kento nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I gave her everything..." he managed to get out.   
Rowen moved over on the seat. "It's okay, buddy. Just let it all out."  
And so the three made their way back to Odwara, Cye driving, and Rowen consoling Kento as he cried his broken heart out.  
  
A few days later, all seven of them were gathered around the table. Kento was well recieved by the others. Ryo seemed a little easier on Yuli, and Mia and Sage seemed a little closer, but not much else had changed. "So, now that we've got the other three armors--"  
"Four," Ryo interrupted.   
Sage looked at him oddly, but continued. "But I haven't a clue what we're supposed to do now."  
"I do," Mia suggested. "Let's all take a rest, okay? I don't know about you guys, but I'm pooped."  
That night, Rowen was awakened by a strange presence in the back of his mind. ~My armor? Huh?~ He walked out of the room to see Kento looking out the window. "Kento, what are you doing up?"  
Kento looked over at Rowen. He shrugged. "I dunno. I just woke up."  
"Hm." Rowen looked him over before shrugging. "You want a snack? Let's get a snack."  
"Dude, since when do I NOT want a snack?" Kento followed Rowen down to the kitchen, where the boy began pulling something out of Mia's shelves. "What do you want?"  
The cook was busy looking out the window. "Hey, Rowen, I think you should look at this..." He opened the door and stepped out.   
Rowen followed him, puzzled. "What is it?"  
  
Mia woke and stretched, pushing herself out of her room. Ayami greeted her in the hall. "Mornin, sunshine." Mia muttered a reply and walked down the stairs to get some black, heavily caffinated coffee.   
Cye popped his head out of the door. "Excuse me, Mia, but have you seen Rowen or Kento? They don't seem to be in their rooms."  
"They're probably downstairs," she mummered.  
Cye blinked. "You could be right, but still, it's kind of hard to think of Rowen getting up this early..." He followed her down. Sage, Ryo, and Yuli were already downstairs, the first having a large cup of coffee.  
"Sage, I hope you saved some of that for me." He grinned and passed her a cup. "You're a lifesaver, Sage."  
"I know."  
Cye looked around. "Kento and Rowen aren't down here either?"  
Yuli looked up. "We thought they were still upstairs." He got up. "I have a bad feeling about this..."  
The five people, two with coffee cups in hand, combed the house. No Rowen, no Kento. "Do you think maybe the daemons did something?"  
"I hope not."  
"Guys, over here!" Yuli's voice came from the woods. The other boys heard it and dashed over. Yuli was facing a daemon in full armor, kusari-gama at the ready.  
"Ronins, to arms!" Instantly the other three boys had gone from street clothes to subarmor to armor. "Who are you, what do you want?" Sage demanded.  
The daemon merely held out a hand in response. "Do these look familiar, Ronins?"  
"That's the armor of Strata, and of Hardrock," Yuli muttered. "You creep, what have you done with Rowen and Kento?"  
"I suppose you don't know it," the daemon said as he tucked away the two orbs, "but your lives are more closely tied to the armor than you realize. That's why I originally didn't want you dead. Somehow, the powers of the armors must have made Rowen and Kento suspicious, started breaking my hold on them. Of course, you know what happened next: Rowen calls Sage, Sage finds Cye, the two of you find Kento and Mia, etc."  
"You haven't answered our question," Ryo growled. "Where are Rowen and Kento?"  
"In a place of my devising," the daemon replied. He opened a hand. A small glove formed above it, and inside the globe shapes began to form. The shapes arranged themselves into the forms of Kento and Rowen, chained and limp.  
"Kento, Rowen!" Cye cried.  
"Let them go!" Yuli demanded.  
"You want to help your friends?" the daemon purred as he closed his hand, making the globe disappear. "Give up your armor to enter my domain, if you dare."  
The Ronins paused. "Need a minute to think it over? Take a few. I'll wait."  
Sage looked over at the daemon warily. "Well, what do you guys think? Go in or not?"  
"I think we should," Yuli said quietly.  
Sage looked over at the younger man. "Yuli, you need to stay back," he said gently.  
Yuli's face took on an obstinate look. "You're not leaving me behind."  
"It's not that," Sage replied. "Look, you're the only one with an armor that isn't Ronin. If we go in and don't make it back, you're the last line of defense. We need you out here."  
"I don't think we should go in," Ryo said. "This could be a trap. Once we're in, we probably will end up in the same condition as Rowen and Kento. Plus we've got to think of the larger picture."  
"So that's it?" Sage demanded. "You'll just sacrifice our friends?"  
"If I have to," Ryo said coldly.  
Sage looked at him, surprised and angry. "I can't believe you! What happened to the guy that would sacrifice the world for his friends?"  
"That guy," Ryo snapped coldly, "spent ten years of his life alone, with no one but a tiger." Tears welled up in his eyes. "And then that stupid tiger had to die..."  
"I'm sorry," Sage said quietly. "That was rude of me and uncalled for. I apologize, Ryo."  
"What do you think, Cye?" Ryo asked, changing the subject.   
The man in question had his hands gripped around his rosary, lips moving in silent prayer. He opened his eyes. "I think we should go for it."  
Ryo shrugged and looked at Sage. "All right, then, if we're going to do something stupid, let's do it together."  
"Good luck, guys," Yuli whispered as the three boys strode toward the daemon.  
"All right," Sage said in a low tone. "You win."  
"Your armors?" he asked pleasantly.  
Sage strode up to the man. Dearmoring, he placed the orb in the man's hand. The man smiled as he accepted it. Sage gasped in shock and pain as a tremor ran through him, then he vanished completely.  
"Sage!!" the boys cried. "What did you do?" Ryo demanded, low and dangerous.  
"He's in my realm, with his friends," the daemon replied. "Isn't that what he wanted?"  
"Ryo?" Cye asked softly.  
The traveler scowled. "I don't think we have a choice but to continue on. Yuli?"   
"Yeah?" the younger man said in some surprise.  
"Hold the fort for us," Ryo said softly.   
"You know I will."  
"Of course," Ryo said with a slight smile. "It's not like you're a child or anything. You're a man, fully able to handle things."  
Yuli smiled. "Thanks, Ryo."  
Ryo dearmored and angrily gave his armor to the daemon. Then he, too, vanished. Cye mummered a quick Ave Maria before doing likewise, the rosary gripped in his hand.  
  
The three men materialized in what seemed a dim pit of everextending darkness. "Ryo? Cye?" Sage called uncertainly.  
"We're here, Sage," came Ryo's voice from his right.   
Sage turned and could just make out the figure of the man. "Gah, it's pitch black in here. Can you see anything?"  
"Barely. Sheesh, the whole 'dark' thing was so last year..."  
"Kento? Rowen? Are you in here?" Cye called out.  
"Cye..." a whisper came from their left. The three Ronins ran over to find Kento and Rowen, both chained to what seemed a nonexistent wall. Furious, Ryo wrenched the chains apart, and both men dropped to the ground.  
"Kento!" Cye barely managed to support the staggaring weight of the large man.  
"Hold on, Rowen, I got you," Ryo muttered as he picked the other man up. "What happened to you two? How did you end up here?"  
"He called us here," Rowen said weakly. "We...didn't have a choice...He had our armors. He's been draining us to power the armor..."  
"And I bet you he'll try to do the same thing to us," Ryo muttered. "This is bad."  
Sage ran a hand through his hair. "We've got to find some way out of here. Then we can get our armors back and kill this daemon."  
"Easier said than done," Ryo said sourly.  
The chamber suddenly seemed to light up a bit. "Watch out..." Rowen whispered.  
Sage cried out as the tremor went through his body again, zapping his energy. Cye fell to the ground, dropping Kento. Ryo managed to keep a grip on Rowen but fell to one knee. "What's he doing?" Ryo yelled.  
"I wish I knew!"  
  
The daemon smiled as he absorbed the power of the Ronin armors into his system. Yuli watched him warily. "One boy? Some defense!"  
"I am not a boy," Yuli said, smiling slightly.   
Mia finally managed to locate him. "Yuli! What's going on?"   
"Watch yourself, Mia!" The skateboarder grabbed Mia just as the daemon would have incinerated her with a blast. "To cut a long story short, the guys gave up their armors to get inside some freaky place where Rowen and Kento are being held."  
"What? What were they thinking? Put me down, Yuli!" Mia yelled.  
He complied, setting her down. "Get out of here, Mia!"  
"I'm not leaving!" she exclaimed. She summoned the shajuko into her hands. "I'm going to help."  
"Okay, just be careful." Yuli leapt out and threw his chains into the ground. "Quake with fear!"  
The daemon leapt in surprise, only to be tangled up in the chains. "Mia, if you can hit him with something, do it now," Yuli said, tense.  
Mia held up the staff. "C'mon, do something..." Nothing happened.  
"Oh, damn..." Yuli leapt, aiming to strike with the scythe. The daemon got one arm free and swatted him to the ground. "Ow..."  
The daemon ripped himself free of the rest of the chains and dropped to the ground. "Is it my turn now?" He drew one arm back at the elbow, while pointing the other at Yuli, as if his arm was an arrow.  
"Oh, no..." Yuli groaned.   
The daemon smiled. "Arrow Shock Wave!"  
Yuli leapt, grabbing onto a tree branch and letting the blast pass under him. "You bastard--"  
"Such strong language for a child!" the daemon smirked. "Let's see you dodge this one. Iron Rock Crusher!"  
Yuli leapt out of the tree, grabbing a branch of another one, only to have it break apart under the blast of Kento's surekill. He fell to the ground.  
"Yuli!" Mia cried.  
"I'm okay," Yuli managed as he got back to his feet.  
"Oh? You won't be." The demon was practically laughing in glee now. "Try this one on for size...Thunderbolt Cut!"  
"Yipe!" Yuli tried to move out of the way, but the blast brushed his side, the force throwing him to the ground. He pushed himself to his feet again.  
"You're making an excellent test subject. How about Super Wave Smasher!"  
The blast caught Yuli full on this time, knocking him back. He managed to get to his feet again. "One more, then?" the demon smiled. "Flare Up Now!"  
Yuli didn't even try to dodge this time, he just threw his arms in front of his uprotected face as the blast hit him. The injured man didn't get up after this blast.   
"Guys..." he groaned to himself. "I can't do this alone. Hurry..."  
"They can't help you," the daemon smirked as he put a foot none-too-gently on the prone man. "You may as well give up. I'll let you live a bit longer.  
"Never," Yuli growled. "Sage told me what to do and I'll do it, even if it kills me!"  
"So touching," the man smiled. "Your friends are no help to you now. They can't do anything in my realm. You're alone."  
"No!" Yuli fixed an intense glare on the daemon. "I will NOT give up on my friends!"  
The man blinked in surprise as a soft amber glow lit up on the boy's forehead. The kanji "chu" appeared, the spirit of the armor shining through this young man.  
"What's going on?"  
  
Within the black pit, the other Ronins realized something was happening.  
Chi. "Something's happening out there!"  
Shin. "I feel it too!"  
Jin. "We have to get out of here!"  
Inochi. "C'mon, guys, let's get out of here!"  
Gi. "Yeah, we're needed!"  
  
"What are you doing, wretched boy?!" the daemon demanded as he felt the power of the armors leaving him.  
"MIA!" Yuli screamed, ignoring the daemon. "NOW!"  
"C'mon, please work!" Mia whispered, holding out the staff again. To her surprise, it activated, the rings jangling, the sphere on the top lighting up.   
"What are you doing?!" the daemon demanded as he was engulfed by the light. Yuli managed to crawl out from under him and back away, covering his eyes from the intense light.  
When it faded, the daemon still appeared the same. In addition, however, the still forms of the five Ronins lay scattered on the ground. "They're alive!"  
Yuli got to his feet. "Let's see how well you do when you aren't hiding behind my friends' power," he snarled.  
The daemon sized him up. Injured as the boy was, he still didn't want to take a chance. He ran.  
Yuli followed. "No, wait, Yuli, you're too injured!" Mia cried, but the man paid her no attention. Mia ran over to Sage and began shaking him. "Sage, someone, wake up! Yuli needs you!"  
The daemon was afraid. Never had he seen such vengeance lighting someone's eyes as there was in the man following him determinedly. The power of the armors was too much, it couldn't be controlled. He'd have to destroy them...but first, he needed to retreat. Gather his strength, then strike again.  
Abruptly, two forms appeared before him. A pair of female daemons. The daemon smiled in relief at seeing his own kind. "Girls, glad you're here. There's a boy, he must be killed..."  
"We know," the one girl said. She drew a long knife.   
The daemon smiled. "Good, good, I knew I could depend on you..."  
The girl casually stabbed the daemon in the chest with her knife. "Sorry, _boss_, but you've gotten too many of us killed." The daemon stared at her, like he couldn't believe she had turned on him, and then he died. Yuli arrived in the clearing, trying to figuere out what had happened.  
"Don't worry," the other girl said. "We're not after you, we just had to take care of--" she gestured toward the dead daemon, "--unfinished business."  
"We'll attend to our own kind," the first said, cleaning her knife. "You should go back to yours now."  
He nodded, slightly unsure, as he turned around and went back.  
  
"I can't believe you, boss!"  
Sage smiled at the voice from the other end of the phone. "Look, Yoko, you know I love you--"  
"Oh, I get it. You've found another woman to replace me, is that it?"  
He laughed. "Yes, that's it. Can you arrange the transfer?"  
"Fine, I know when I'm not wanted," she huffed. "Odwara, huh? Well, I'll see if I can get a transfer for two."  
Sage blinked. "Two?"  
"Two, boss. C'mon, who else can work with a lesbo like me?" she added teasingly. "I hit on all the girls and all the guys hit on me. You'd just better have a room ready for me!"  
Sage smiled. "Those other reporters don't know what a great assistant they're losing."  
"Yeah, yeah. See ya in a few, hopefully."  
Sage hung up the phone with a smile. Now that the daemons weren't bothering them anymore, the Ronins were trying to get their lives back in order. Sage had proposed to Mia, and she had accepted, so Sage was making arrangements to move to Odwara since that was where all Mia's property was.  
"Date Mia. I could get used to that," was her teasing comment.  
Cye, of course, would go back to his church. The whole ordeal had only strengthened his faith, but he hinted that he would be stepping out of the church a lot more often now. Yuli would go back to Tokyo, and he'd be taking along another person with him: Kento. Yuli had practically insisted on the man coming with him when he heard Kento was out of home and job. Strangely enough, just as his case was about to come back to court, some new evidence appeared that cleared him of the crime.  
"Hey, I heard there's a bunch of cute chicks in Tokyo," Kento had remarked with a wink. "Who knows."  
Rowen couldn't go back to his old job in Odaiba, due to the fact that people thought he was dead. He decided to stay in Odwara with Sage and Mia. "Free housing, why not?" Sage had done him the courtesy of bringing Deiani Izumi to Odwara to see him, and the woman had immediately thrown her arms around him, sobbing and confessing her love. A surprised but extremely pleased "Ro-chan" found himself on the way to a wedding.  
"That just leaves Ryo," Mia sighed as she looked out the window. The man was standing on the hill, looking out at the sunset.  
Yuli walked out onto the lawn and joined the older man. "Ryo?"  
"Hey, Yuli."  
"What are you going to do now?" Yuli asked Ryo, gazing out at the sunset as well.  
"I'm going to do what I have done," he remarked softly. "There's still a lot of Japan, and then the world, that I haven't seen."  
"I wish you'd stay," Yuli said a bit sadly.   
"This is what I'm called to do, Yuli." Ryo looked over at the boy. "The traveling...it's a part of my blood. I think Blaze might be calling to me. He wanted to see the world too."  
"Won't you be lonely?"  
"I'll never be lonely again," he smiled. "Now I've got places I can call home."  
"You know you're more than welcome in Tokyo," Yuli pressed. "In fact, I insist on you coming to see me sometime."  
"You know I will." Ryo reached out and mussed the hair of the younger man. "See ya later, man."  
"Hey," Yuli smiled, tears in his eyes, "you can call me kid."  
Ryo smiled as he began walking down the hill. He could practically feel the tiger's spirit by his side, and the well wishes of his old friends. He was young and there was a lot of the world to see. Life looked pretty good. 


End file.
